Duran Duran's 'Rio'

Duran Duran's Rio by Annie Zaleski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Writer Annie Zaleski dives deep into the creation and history of 1982's Rio by Duran Duran for the Bloomsbury 33 1/3 album series. Zaleski paints a vivid and detailed look at all aspects of Rio, from the creation on the heels of Duran Duran's 1981 debut to the various industries and technologies making strides and changes, such as MTV, rock radio formats, and VCR mass availability. The research dives deep into the mysterious world of remixes and multiple formats, giving a behind-the-scenes look at how a band from the UK "breaks" in America. Most importantly, the band themselves are given proper due as the songwriters, creative visionaries, and cultural influences that have only grown more respected with the passage of time. The format of the 33 1/3 book keeps them to less than 150 pages, but Zaleski's deep dive could have easily warranted an even longer length.

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The Spy Who Came In From the Cold

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not my first le Carré book, but first of the George Smiley series. What can I say that hasn't already been said. It's a classic, taught and thrilling with pages of back-and-forth dialogue that slowly ratchet up the tension and suspense.

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Caliban's War

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everything I liked about Leviathan Wakes gets hit out of the park in Caliban's War. Primarily, that's because of Avasarala and Bobbie joining the fray, two distinctly different but utterly indispensable characters. Even though this book is longer than LW, it flies by thanks to always escalating and developing drama and stakes.

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The Storm

The Storm by Clive Cussler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first Clive Cussler novel and quite enjoyed it. Moves quickly, interesting twists and turns, kept me entertained throughout. The characters weren't exactly fleshed out, but I don't think that's the point.

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WOOL

Wool by Hugh Howey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this take on the contained post-apocalyptic story. Howey really defines the look, feel, smell, and taste of the world. Lots of twists and turns, continually upending expectations and dolling out information piece-by-piece to keep the reader engaged.

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Leviathan Wakes

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Been watching the TV series since the start and wanted to tackle the books. Really enjoyed Leviathan Wakes, both on its own and compared to the show. It's hard-ish sci-fi not as technical as something by Neal Stephenson but feels grounded. If there is one thing that the show improved upon, it was the character of Miller, which is half the book (the other half being Holden, as the chapter are split back and forth between their perspectives). Miller comes across as a bit cliched for the first half - the over-the-hill drunk cop. When he loses his job and ends up on Eros, that's when it clicked for me. Looking forward to reading the whole series!

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The Last Emperox

The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very satisfying conclusion to The Interdependency trilogy. These books are all tightly written with plenty of action and palace intrigue. I wish there were three more coming, because I could read about this universe for years to come.

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Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I went into this expecting to love it based on how many of my favorite authors have praised the work. Unfortunately, I merely found it slightly better than average. The biggest hurdle for me was the massive amount of nothing happening. I understand what Heinlen is doing, digging deep into the military training and structure to provide some sort of potential ideal, but the honestly that got old fast. There is a lot of talk about promotions and the way things are done, but it all felt unnecessary when I finally reached the end as if there was plenty of set-ups and no payoff. Maybe the book needed to be longer so I could actually read how these various characters evolve, but as is, Rico felt like the only three-dimensional entity in the whole book, whereas so many one-off characters went on long-winded diatribes with repetitive points between them. Dare I say, the movie is far superior?

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this in a day while spending the weekend in a cabin in snowy woods. Well aware of the love for this book, I can say it was like meeting someone IRL that you've been friends with online for a long time. All sorts of references and quotes jumped out and gave me "aha" moments. What's really remarkable in retrospect is how Adams navigates such a tricky combination of sci-fi and humor while being a crack storyteller.

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The Cartel

The Cartel by Don Winslow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My first read of Don Winslow and it will not be my last. Really enjoyed his tight and concise style of writing. While I got a bit lost at times trying to keep the many characters straight, eventually it all came together in a way that made for a very satisfying ending. Looking forward to checking out more by the author.

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Concert Review: The Afghan Whigs @ Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH (11/19/1998)

In the late summer of 1998, I finished my college internship and was an official graduate of Bowling Green State University. In September, I packed up a moving van and relocated from Buffalo, New York to Columbus, Ohio. It's the last major move I've made, as Columbus has been my home ever since. I moved without a job to start but instead the idea I was going to make music with my college friends, Keith and Jason.

One of the reasons I wanted to make music was because of The Afghan Whigs. I had discovered them a few years early upon the release of their fourth album Black Love, which remains to this day one of my favorite all-time records. So the move was timed well. Upon first arriving, I caught Wilco and The Tragically Hip together at a free show in Bicentennial Park. A month later, Soul Asylum would play a costumed Halloween show at long-gone Mekka. Getting to see the Whigs on tour supporting what would be their just-released fifth album 1965 made me pretty sure I'd made the correct decision to make the move, even if it meant working a temp retail job while the band got off the ground.

At the time, I didn't know the long history of the Whigs and Columbus. How they had cut their teeth diving here in the late 80s/early 90s playing places like Apollo's with bands like Royal Crescent Mob, Scrawl or Barbed Wire Dolls. I had been to the Newport Music Hall a few times to see bands, and this time I was going to see one of my favorites with the added assist that a former college radio cohort had gotten us backstage passes to meet the band.

The band was, of course, great. Dulli was on fire, with the band expertly backing him up. They played a heavy amount of new tunes, plus tracks from every record I knew while tossing in a few choice covers (Prince and Rolling Stones, off the top of my head). Highlights were many, but getting Marcy Mays of Scrawl on-stage to sing "My Curse," which does on the record, was a magical sight.

After the show, I managed to get a promo flat, which was signed by everyone in that incarnation of the band (except Dulli), and hangs on my wall, along with the backstage pass and concert ticket.

If you want to read a more detailed write-up of the show, OSU's The Latern has their review online.

Wiseguy

Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For fans of the movie Goodfellas like myself, this book is a great companion. Richer details, including how law enforcement caught up with Henry Hill from the side of the FBI and police, and an even better understanding of the origins of all the players involved. It's remarkable how much of the story made it onto the screen intact, almost word-for-word, and how much was left out that could have turned the film into a miniseries (i.e the Boston points shaving scandal, the prison time).

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The Fated Sky

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mary Robinette Kowal nails the second Lady Astronaut book. The first (The Calculating Stars) was so entertaining, I was worried if it was possible. While the technical jargon gets a little thicker, we also get richly developed characters with complexity. I would love another installment in this series, set ten or fifteen years later to discover how these characters and this alternate timeline have progressed.

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The Calculating Stars

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Could not put this down, so much to take in and yet is written with such skill and finesse the technical jargon/experience of the characters never overwhelms the humanity of the story. So many things to appreciate, but the character actions/motivations/behavior was done so well - yes it is told in 1950s America and dealing with the sexual/racial politics is absolutely essential to the story, but there was no mustache-twirling villain - something I greatly appreciated as it allowed for more complex/fleshed out characters. Very excited to dive into The Fated Sky next.

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Concert Review: George Clinton And The P-Funk All-Stars @ the Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio (6/30/96)

There are many things I enjoy and appreciate about my time at Bowling Green State University, but one the best was the free stuff. Not tuition, or books, or food; stuff that would been useful. What I'm talking about is entertainment. How did we get free entertainment? Glad you asked.

One way was the campus movie theater, which showed advanced screenings of movies. Basically, you signed up in an office ahead of time, and if you got their early enough, you'd get on the list. When the movie was over, there was usually a comment card to fill out. Over the the years, I saw movies such as Grosse Point Blank, While You Were Sleeping, PCU and a few other this way.

Another way was via the campus radio station I worked at, WFAL AM 680. Working in the music department, we had access to piles of free promo cds, most of which never got played on the air. We also sponsored concerts and other events, so when the Violet Femmes, Wally Pleasant or Ani DiFranco came to campus, we promoted it and got free tickets. We also sponsored movies, like the premier of Trainspotting and an anime festival. But the really good gets were the concert tickets outside Bowling Green.

Concert Review: The Darkness at Promowest Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio (6.14.04)

For a brief, glorious moment, The Darkness were a lot of fun. Actually, it was more like a year. In Summer 2003, the band released their debut album Permission To Land. Over the top Freddie Mercury-ish vocals with massive glam metal guitar riffage? It was Buckcherry with a sense of humor, or Steel Dragon with a sense of taste, one of those out-of-nowhere, completely uncool-its-cool popular culture happenings that seem preposterous in retrospect, but at the time was a lot of fun.

I played the hell out of that debut album, learned various riffs on guitar, and generally enjoyed something so out of sync with the times, which was dominated by Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Kanye West and a lot of other very good, but also very serious, music. The Darkness were not serious, and it's good to have a balance, or at least that's what I've learned over the years. If all you do is listen to a very narrow sect of sounds, you're going to either burnout, or becoming boringly repetitive.

The Light Brigade

The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is everything thought-provoking, page-turning science fiction should and can be. I tore through this book in a just a couple days, way faster than I normally read, because I couldn't stop. A well-crafted blend of Starship Troopers/The Expanse/Edge Of Tomorrow with Kameron Hurley's unique spin. This absolutely works as a book, but I would love to see it on a screen, big or small, for its visual and visceral thrills.

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The Consuming Fire

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My only complaint - I wanted another hundred pages or so. The predecessor, The Collapsing Empire, was thoroughly entertaining, and The Consuming Fire picks up baton and successfully ramps up the stakes. Looking forward to the next installment of this series.

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Concert Review: The Cult @ Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH (5/23/01)

This show was something of a personal disaster, and it probably a strong contender for why I don't enjoy going to big venues for shows. Isn't that a fantastic way to start a concert review?

I was never a huge fan of The Cult. I liked a few songs off of Sonic Temple, Love and Electric, but I was actually more of a fan of their odd 1994 self-titled album, as well as Ian Astbury's solo Sprit/Light/Speed from 2000. In the spring of 2001, the new album Beyond Good And Evil was still a few months away from being released, but it was a big deal the band was back together after several years apart, and the first single "Rise" caught my attention. Yes, it had the big Bob Rock production and down-tuned guitars, things that would usually turn me off, however in this instance, I was psyched. So when my friends and bandmates Keith and Jason were getting tickets, I said count me in.

As a concert goer, I tend to be pretty chill. I just want to stand, nod my head a bit, enjoy the music and performance. As soon as we walked in and found a spot on the floor, I knew this was not going to be that kind of evening. Maybe it was the hard rock vibe the band gave off, though I always thought of them as a bit more artsy and adventurous, but the crowd was full of amp'd up assholes. The kind of guys shoving through the crowd, looking to agitate someone into a confrontation. I have never understood that inclination, and I was immediately on edge as The Cult started, opening with the single "Rise."

The Stars Are Legion

The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastically originally read. The world created by Kameron Hurley is unique and bold, with every gory, sticky, pulsing detail building toward a mind bending climax. So happy to be sucked into an original and layered space opera that is unlike anything I've experienced prior. Looking forward to check out more by the author.

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